Monday, November 09, 2020

November 9, 2020 Monday--11:30am

Good Morning!
This was the first year since I moved here five years ago that the trees across the way didn't change from right to left.  They changed right, left, and then center.  Well, that's 2020 for you. 
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I worked on a bonus class from my Wanderlust course election night.  I love mandalas so this was a good choice for me to play with while I watched the partial results.  Kept me calmer while we were all left hanging.  Instead of doing all the inking first she wanted us to be looser and put in the color first sometimes.  Well, I made the entire mandala with my watercolor pens first.  (Was going for portability.)
Then added the pen doodling.
May not seem much looser than I normally am--but it is.  Somewhat.
I will have to try this class again when I am not so tense--LOL!

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Like most of us I was waiting and waiting all week to hear the news of who won the election.  Some of us were upset with the results and some of us were happy.  Let's just say I have been sleeping much better since Saturday.  

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Otherwise is was a usual week with laundry, trips to the dumpster & garage, cooking, baking, running the dishwasher, and feeding critters.  Had packages come from Amazon...board games for Christmas!  Gramma will want to play, too.  Liam will need help from an adult...so just maybe he might accept help from still fairly scary Gramma he doesn't see often enough...?  ;)

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Chutes and Ladders, Sorry...

...Parcheesi, and a kind of Connect Four--wooden travel size, not the original game. 
Saw warnings about ordering early this year since the mail can be slow so I have the main big stuff already.  Can pick up a couple small things next month so they have something just for themselves since all these presents are for the both of them together.  We got games like that for my brother, sister, and I.  They were really fun but we still wanted something just for ourselves, you know?
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Speaking of for yourself...lol!  I finally got a cheap little laundry cart and tiny wastebasket for in-between the washer and dryer. 
 I had one at my old apartment but it was falling apart and I never did replace it when I moved here.  This one was inexpensive and it is a bit rickety but I don't need to pull it out very often so I hope it holds together for a while, anyways.
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Woke up to snow again this morning.

The partridges have been here five six times already.

Well, I think I have at least two coveys--possibly three--so I shouldn't say "the" partridges--LOL!  Partridges or some of the partridges is more accurate, I guess.  :)

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I have pictures from Leah from the past month.  These are included probably more for Gramma than anyone else--LOL!  But here you go... 

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Their cat Blink likes to watch Ian at school.  She's perched up on the ledge observing all the activity.

Leah added some of our oval wooden labels to the taboret drawers.
Nice and organized.
The long hanging file folder thingie is working really well, too.
I am glad to see things are going so well for kindergarten at home.  I think Ian loves his little laptop.

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They had six pumpkins from the garden for Halloween carving.

One was green.

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We had snow so many times in October I don't know when this was from exactly but I love the handprints on the snowy deck.
The boys have their own snow shovels.  Here they were helping on the driveway.
Of course one must take time out to make snow angels...

...and snowballs.
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I loved this picture of the boys both busy with their own art projects.
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There were icicles in their tree in the front yard...
...almost looked like decorations put there on purpose--LOL!  Bet it looked pretty with the colored lights turned on at night.
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The boys spending time reading with Daddy.
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I was really impressed by this puzzle Ian must have cut out himself.
A pumpkin puzzle.
Not sure if this was a print off from school to color and cut out, but that would be my guess.  Looks like lots of fun...and they were trying to find the last piece--lol!
Ian made a spiderweb from masking tape...with things the spider caught in it, too.
Looks like a puzzle Liam would like to try.

I think Ian made this spooky mask.

And I can tell they got packets of sugar free candies from Mama and Daddy.  I think they had a hunt for them in the house.

Can you tell when we've been in quarantine for one reason or another the past 5-6 weeks that we get a bit out of touch--LOL!  We'll finally be able to see each other again after Thursday.  :)

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On one of the nice days this past week (where we were in the 60s and even hit 70s) Mama was taking pictures of the boys in front of the tree in the front yard.   


I see Liam mostly like this...more somber.
But he can be silly like his big brother...
...and smile a lot, too.
Ian's hair is pretty long.
Leah has trimmed it a couple of times, I think, but he is determined to grow it long like Mama's.  Pretty soon he'll have to start wearing it in a ponytail like his Uncle Chuck.  
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Anyways, I can hardly wait to be able to go over for a bubble visit again.  :)
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Blogger has been really erratic--so what else is new?  First, quite suddenly, I was getting all your comments in my inbox!  But then none at all.  So if I responded, you know you were one of the ones who made it through--LOL!  Not something I can depend on anymore, I guess.  But I read every word.  :)  I don't want to try turning off moderation because I am still getting quite intimate regular invites for sexual romps.  ;)
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Until next week.  :) :)
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"Strange is our situation here upon earth.  Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose.  From the standpoint of daily life, there is one thing we do know: That we are here for the sake of other men--above all for those upon whose smile and well-being our own happiness depends, for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy.  Many times a day, I realize how much my outer and inner life is built upon the labors of people, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received and am still receiving."
Albert Einstein

17 comments:

Rita said...

I shall keep trying to comment to get your comments. I don't understand why if it doesn't work in my settings that it doesn't work here, either? Does that mean if you click on "notify me" for comments it won't work for you either? That sucks. Another reason I don't want to go back to responding right on the blog. Anyways, have a great week! :)

Bonnie said...

I always enjoy seeing pictures of the boys especially since I don't have any young grandchildren anymore. They are both such handsome boys! Blink is sure a beautiful cat and that picture of him watching Ian is so cute.

I keep getting those trash comments too through blogger but usually they are on older posts I have done in the past. I have just my older posts on comment moderation so I get an email and can delete the comment before being published. I like the Einstein quote. He's always been a favorite of mine. Take care Rita.

Deb J. in Utah said...

Hi Rita - so fun to see pictures of those cute grandsons. You can tell your son and his wife are excellent parents. :-) Those games will be great Christmas presents. We had a snowy weekend here and it is supposed to be cold all week. I got you letter the other day. I love snail mail too. I will be writing back soon.

Anvilcloud said...

For a brief moment, I thought you were apologizing for purchasing Chutes and Ladders. "Chutes and Ladders, Sorry"

As for comments getting mailed to me, that stopped a long time ago. I have adjusted. :)

Diana said...

LOL! I love all the photos of the boys! I needed the laughs and smiles. My blogger was doing fine with sending me notifications for moderating comments, then all of a sudden this past week, I actually have to go in to my admin and check for them. Grrrr. I've never had that problem before. I sent them feedback about the problem. They're such a big tech they could at least make sure everything works! Geesh! Sorry I haven't been by here lately, November is a hard month for our family. Be blessed, Rita!

Joy@aVintageGreen said...

Love reading/seeing your post Rita - full of love and family and happy grands.
Hugs.
Joy

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

What a fun treat to see the boys this week and where Ian's desk and homework area is set up. It was fun to see.

That mandala is AWESOME. My hand hurts just seeing all you put into that. Not relaxing to me, but glad it is for you, dear. Have a super week.

DJan said...

I love all the pictures you put in here. And I'm also very glad to see the boys getting so big and both interested in art. Take after their grandma, it seems. You sound like you're doing well, which makes me very happy.

Divers and Sundry said...

Mandalas are soothing, aren't they! Fun games :) It's great you could find a cart that fit so perfectly. Snow! It's beautiful! It looks like they got a kick out of the jack 'o lanterns.

I just check blogger a couple of times a day to approve the real comments "awaiting moderation". It's easier for me than handling them individually in email.

Far Side of Fifty said...

I just check blogger too for comments as I had that strange person too.
Love the Mandela..I recall when you used to do them all the time! Sure hope you are having a good week this week. The weather is sure cold today:(

Jenny Woolf said...

Your grandsons are just lovely. I adore seeing the photos of them growing and learning more each day. Ian is quite an artist, that spider web is impressive! I also love the quote by Einstein. I hadn't seen it before.

Jo-Anne's Ramblings said...

Snow, pumpkin, grandkids and art work all things that make us smile and feel good.

Juli said...

I am not ready for snow yet. We've had one night here in New England and it was gone by morning. Today? 70 degrees and sunny.

The Mandela is beautiful. And the fine motor skills of puzzle cuting are impressive. It's hard to do at any age. :)

pearshapedcrafting said...

The mandala is great - I have never tried to make one! I love the board games - we used to play a lot with my grandchildren. I hope you have as much fun as we used to! I love how the boys are helping clear the snow. Halloween liked like fun too. I don't envy you so much snow but I do hope we get a some this year. Oh! Strange how those trees turned this year. Maybe just had sun at a different time this year! Take care, enjoy watching your birds! Hugs, Chrisx

Serena Lewis said...

How strange about the tree order change.

OH! I remember when you did mandalas years ago. So happy you are doing more. What a difference the pen doodling made.

I hope a certain person accepts defeat, behaves with dignity, and concedes.

We used to play Snakes and Ladders a lot when the kids were younger. Sorry! is a good game too. Oh, and Connect Four, another favourite with the kids. Wise to order them early.

Always lovely to see the critters. I wonder if you will see any jack rabbits this year.

Blink is so cute!

Ian is all set. I like the hanging file holder. Cool pumpkin puzzle!

The snow angel made me smile. Lovely photos of Ian and Liam. Ian's hair is getting nice and long.

Sorry Blogger is giving you so much hassle. So far, I've been lucky. I don't have to comment to get the comments in my Inbox...no problems there. Lucky for me, I don't get any spam into my Inbox either. Blogger catches it first and puts in all in the spam folder. I also have opted to allow only Google Account holders to comment. I do have moderation turned on for posts that are older than 2 weeks.

Have a lovely Thursday/Friday! xo

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Lots to comment on in this post, Rita, including art, grandsons, snow and blogger. The mandala was beautiful and something I would not have the patience or skill to complete. It’s nice that you get the photo updates from Leah on Liam and Ian’s activities from pumpkin carving to snow shoveling and being creative with that spider web and puzzle making. It seems they have some of your creative genes. Those puzzles are great gifts to keep minds active.
We have not had any snow since the Oct 30 event. Here the weather suddenly turned warmer, but this weekend has cooled down with rain in the forecast.
Thankfully, blogger spam is not a serious issue lately. I check comments daily, but do not moderate or have comments sent to my in box. I read every one and will comment or reply within a future post if several bloggers have made the same comment.

Harvest Moon by Hand said...

The details that you added to the mandala are so intricate and creative! You have such a good eye for that. A sense of relief and hope was the feeling here on Saturday as well.